1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for communication among mobile units and a vehicular communication apparatus and, more particularly, to a method for communication among mobile units and a vehicular communication apparatus that make it possible to automatically connect to a party who is capable of providing necessary information on the basis of an environment or condition change of a driver or a vehicle or in response to a driver's request so as to effect communication with the party.
2. Description of the Related Art
With increasingly advanced communication technology, communication between mobile units, such as between automobiles (hereinafter referred to as “inter-vehicle communication”), has become possible. Conventional inter-vehicle communication, however, has been such that a driver specifies a party to be connected and establishes connection with the party through a network to effect communication.
Hence, the conventional inter-vehicle communication does not permit automatic connection and communication with an optimum party on the basis of an environment or condition change of a driver or a vehicle or in response to a driver's request.
For instance, the compartment of a vehicle is usually a closed space, and vehicles or pedestrians around the vehicle can hardly know a condition in the compartment. However, there are some cases where anomalies or accidents occur in the compartment, such as a driver suddenly developing a physical disorder, although they cannot be visually recognized from outside. In such a case, it would be convenient if an anomaly or accident in the compartment can be automatically detected and reported to a nearby vehicle or pedestrian. This has not been possible in the conventional inter-vehicle communication.
In addition to the serious cases mentioned above, there are minor cases where, for example, a driver may want to ask another driver to yield a right of way or to ask a pedestrian nearby a direction to go to a predetermined destination when the driver is inching along in a traffic jam, or may want to say thank you to a driver who kindly yields the way. This has not been possible.
Furthermore, it would be convenient if the position and speed of a vehicle traveling ahead in the same lane or direction can be acquired when neighboring vehicles are slowing down, so that a traffic jam occurring ahead may be known in order to accomplish early rerouting. This, however, has not been possible in the conventional inter-vehicle communication.
In the case of a communication-navigation system adapted to effect navigation by receiving geographical information from an external center providing the geographical information, geographical information can be shared as long as navigation devices are made by the same manufacturer. It would be convenient if a driver who wishes to acquire geographical information but cannot access the center due to a busy line could communicate with a driver of a vehicle equipped with a navigating device made by the same manufacturer so as to acquire geographical information from the vehicle. This has not been possible in the conventional inter-vehicle communication, either.
Furthermore, there are cases where a driver wishes to say thank you to a predetermined neighboring driver, as necessary, when the neighboring driver lets the driver in the lane, to give a notice when entering an arterial highway or an express highway, or to ask a neighboring driver's intention when making a right or left turn at an intersection. This feature is not available with the conventional inter-vehicle communication technology.
The above merely indicates some exemplary occasions where the communication feature, which is not available with the conventional communication technology, would conveniently permit communication with a particular driver.